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Hey there humans! My name is Blake, an’ today I getta try out this blog thingy. It’s my first blog, so I may not say a whole lot… I just wanna try it out! So, here is my basic info — I’m a Pit Bull/Boxer mix a lil over a year old. A nice guy who volunteers here found me at the end of his driveway without a collar or anything, and brought me here, and no one ever claimed me, so I’m just hangin’ out here waitin’ for my forever home.

I always get ice cream on my way home from obedience class!

This is a pretty cool place to hang out though, instead of bein’ out on the streets, havin’ to take care of myself. Here I have a clean, cool place to sleep, I get regular meals, I have lots of girlfriends (both human, and doggy girlfriends), and a roommate, Orchid. Plus, the humans here give us lots of attention, and there are volunteers, too, who come in and take me to obedience class at The Dogs’ Spot, on outings, and my favorite volunteer who loves to wrestle with all us dogs, and even jumps in the kiddy pools with us!!! LOL! Life’s good here… but I do wanna find a forever home, like Hercules has found. He spent last weekend with his soon-to-be new dad, and came back looking like he had been spoiled with lots of treats and extra tasty food! I heard he’ll be goin’ to his forever home soon, which is awesome for him!

I’ve been workin’ on being good in obedience class, so I can go on to learn some agility stuff. Merrick comes back braggin’ ’bout the agility stuff he’s learnin’ with Harrison, and I gotta catch up ’cause I can’t have Merrick of all dogs lookin’ better than me, lol. Orchid says it’s lots of fun, too!

In case you’re wondering about my nickname, it’s ’cause I like only girl dogs… not that I’ve got anything much against boy dogs, I just wanna be the only boy! I mean Hercules seems okay, Max is probly all right, but I’m a flirt with the girls like Xena, Bianca, Orchid and I loved havin’ Betty Jo as a roommate before she was adopted. See, not all the other dudes here can handle all the ladies like I can… ha ha! When Xena and I first met, it was obvious to me she didn’t really know how to play with dogs (which is kinda sad, but she’s gettin’ much better), so I play bowed to her, hunkered down low and licked her chin to let her know I wanted to play. She kinda jumped back all startled like the first time I did that, (which was really funny, but don’t tell her I said that) but she’s come around. I love Orchid, and Bianca too… I think I have a “type”. Anyway, our humans think it’s funny I’m such a ladies man and one human made a short video ’bout me, and I think I look real good, so you gotta check it out.

Well, I gotta go… I have a date with Xena! Next time I blog, I’ll tell ya ’bout my ideal forever home. If ya wanna learn more ’bout me though, check me out here.

Hey humans! How are ya doin’? It’s been a while since anyone has blogged (ahem, Christine, lol), and there’s a LOT goin’ on, and I thought you’d maybe want an update. Well, first, and most importantly… I’m going to be adopted!!! My new dad is AWESOME! He’s taken me on a couple outings, like to Shawnee Mission Park for a walk, and he’s given me cheeseburgers! He’s moving to a new house soon, and that’s when I’ll go to my forever home. I’m really excited… and I know all of HSGKC’s staff and volunteers are happy for me, too! Shiloh went to a foster-to-adopt home, and he’s officially gonna be adopted on Saturday! Who wouldn’t want to adopt either of us… we’re handsome boys (but don’t tell Shiloh I said that about him, I don’t want him to have even more of an ego than he already has).

The BEG Program is coming along well, too! We’ve had some awesome volunteers come in for a few sets of HSGKC BEG Obedience Class 1.0, and all the dogs have graduated! Pete’s wanting to add an Intermediate Level 2.0 soon. And… the agility equipment is here! It’s all put together and set up in a real nice yard just for agility. Pete wants to do a demo soon, and will be teaching an agility class, too, so he’s teaching Orchid some agility stuff, and showing Christine and Bianca, Amber and Mia, and Harrison and Merrick how to do things like the A-Frame and some jumps and stuff. I’ve heard all the dogs are doing well and are having a lot of fun learning new stuff! I think this is so cool for the dogs here because it makes their everyday life better while they’re waiting for their new homes! And, it wears them out, too!

Bianca going through the Tire Jump!

The BEG Program isn’t just about training and agility, it’s about doing extra stuff to give us more full lives while living here, and help prepare us for our forever homes. Like Katie takes Diesel on outings to different parks and places because he’s kind of a nervous dude, so it’s good for him to go out and see new things. Or like when Harrison took Porter home for an overnight at his house, and Amber took Diesel for a couple overnight visits, too. All these things are so good for us!

One other thing… there’s gonna be a satellite adoption event at Brookside Barkery and Bath on Saturday, June 18th from 11am -3pm. I’m adopted, so I’m gonna hang here and supervise some of these youngsters! But there’ll be several other adoptable dogs to meet, so even though it’s gonna be hot, if you have time, you should go meet a few dogs!

Heya humans, what’s up?!?! I haven’t checked in for a while, an’ wanted to fill ya in on some stuff goin’ on. First, my buddy Zappa is in a foster home now, an’ he’s doin’ pretty good with the human who’s fosterin’ him… he’s still got lots to learn ’bout bein’ in a home, but everyone is real happy for him ’cause he gotta go to a foster home! Anyways, I do miss him tho… he was my walkin’ an’ car ride buddy! I go on lots of walks with other dogs, like Orchid, but haven’t found a doggy I can play with like I did with Skye an’ Echo. Our humans are workin’ on findin’ me a friend, tho, I know it! I’m gettin’ LOTS of extra attention from staff an’ volunteers since Zappa isn’t here… like last Saturday, this real nice volunteer, Blake, played fetch with me, an’ even helped me dig a hole!!! He’s silly, like me, an’ we had lots of fun! I was worn out after we played for about an hour! I hope he comes in again this Saturday to hang out with me!

My new sweater Christine found for me… Maddie tried it on to make sure it fit. I only look a lil serious ’cause she was holdin’ my squeaky toy! They think Blue is a great color on me… what do you think??

That reminds me… on Saturday there’s gonna be a Valentine’s Day party for us dogs! It’s called “Have a Heart for HSGKC’s Adoptable Dogs”, an’ it’s from 1-3pm on Saturday, February 13. Check out our website for more details, but I think it’s cool! Our humans wanted to have a party for us ’cause I guess February has lots of days dedicated to dogs… like this week is Have a Heart for Chained Dogs Week (I think that’s REAL important, btw), an’ February is also Dog Training Education Month, which ties in with HSGKC’s BEG Program. Plus, our volunteers and staff will bring some of us out to meet humans, an’ hang out with ya! I’m excited ’bout that part ’cause I LOVE spending time with humans, like Christine… she usually spends some time with me everyday, an’ knows I like climbin’ in her lap, an’ givin’ her kisses, an’ hugs an’ just lovin’ on her! Even tho I’ve got lots of energy, it’s usually just at first ’cause I’m excited to see someone, then I relax a lil’… most of the time… an’ I still remember the stuff I learned in obedience class, like how to “sit”, an’ “lay down”! I had my pic taken with Jai for Valentine’s Day, too, and it is pretty darn cute… so be sure to check us out on Facebook an’ Instagram!

Hello humans! I’m Joker (and more recently known as River), and I’m a 16 month old Lab/Border Collie mix. I have a cool story to tell you about me and my journey from being at HSGKC to being an Alert Service Dog in Training. My story starts back in July, when I was surrendered by my owner because of a real bad wound I had on my back (I had either a wound or a chemical burn that got infected), and they couldn’t afford to take care of me, so I came to HSGKC.

After my wound healed a bit, our humans started to let volunteers take me out in the yard to play and go on walks. Well, one day, Pete was watching me play fetch with a volunteer (I LOVE playing fetch!), and when Pete noticed how good I was at bringing the toy back to the volunteer over and over again, he saw something special in me. He contacted his friend, Eliodora, who is a Canine Working Dog Recruiter (and she does a LOT of other really cool stuff, too) to come out to HSGKC and see me in action. Eliodora also saw something special in me, and potential for me to go on to do something really cool because of my toy drive. So, she showed Pete, Christine and Amber how to play with me to build up my stamina and keep me engaged with toys.

Pete, Christine and Amber worked with me for about a month, taking time everyday to play fetch with me! I loved it!! (On a funny note — one of the things they had to do to keep my energy up and positive was to yell funny stuff when I’d bring the toy back to them… Christine was the silliest ’cause she’d yell stuff like “all right, all right, all right!!!!” which I guess is from some movie she likes… anyways, I thought she was pretty amusing).

Me and Pete before I left for Indiana.

Anyway, they worked with me for about 2 months, everyday, and all the hard work we did (well, it wasn’t really “work” for me, it was FUN!) paid off. Eliodora came out to see me in action again, and thought I’d be well suited as a Diabetic Alert Dog.She contacted a friend and colleague with Alert Service Dogs in Indiana… and I was accepted into their training program!!! I went to Eliodora’s house on Tuesday, and Wednesday she took me out to different places to expose me to new situations (and I was on TV, too!) to prepare me for my plane trip and training. I left yesterday, and got to go on an airplane with Eliodora to Indiana! I’m going to start training real soon, and after I finish training, I’ll be matched with a person who’s diabetic, and live with them.

Me on the airplane with Eliodora. After we landed, she said I “ROCKED!”

I’ve heard our humans talking about different kinds of jobs dogs like me can do (I’m energetic, friendly with humans and other dogs, and I have a VERY high toy drive… meaning I LOVE my toys, like a LOT), from FEMA Search and Rescue, or Wildlife Search and Rescue to Diabetic Alert Dogs to Bomb/Drug Detection Dogs. We’re dogs who have “jobs” where we help humans. We’re the dogs who are in shelters, and will be adopted and sometimes returned because we’re too high energy, we bark a lot, and need a job to do. Most dogs who do these types of jobs come from humans who breed “working” dogs, but what some humans don’t know is that some of us are in shelters, waiting for an opportunity like this, to go on and help humans. I was given an opportunity for a better life when I was taken in by HSGKC and received care to heal my wound, and now I can return the favor and help a human in need. Us “shelter dogs” are just as awesome as dogs from breeders, and my journey is proof of that!

I’ll let you know how training goes for me! I’m gonna work super hard to complete training so I can go on to be a Diabetic Alert Dog, companion, and best friend to someone who needs me as much as I need them. Bye for now!

heya humans! i’m Merrick, a Lab mixed with who knows what??? our humans took a DNA sample from me to find out what kinda breeds i’ve got in me… i’m kinda curious, too. i’m 9 months old, and the reason i’m here is cuz the person who had me before abandoned me at someone else’s house during a garage sale, and that lady was real worried ’bout me cuz the entire left side of my face was like super swollen!!! i had a bad infection in my jaw, so i went to VCA Welborn Animal Hospital and had to have surgery to drain out all the nasty stuff in my jaw. that’s why i kinda have a lopsided smile… but i think it gives me character!

this is what i looked like before my surgery

the humans at Welborn, and our humans here at HSGKC got me ALL better, and now i’m doin’ great. the way my teeth line up isn’t quite right, but one of the human doggy doctors here said to wait ’til i’m all grown up before takin’ me to another kinda doggy doctor called a “den-tist” ‘cuz i’m still growin’ so it’s best to wait.

i heard there’s gonna be a real big satellite adopt-shun event at the Plaza Art Fair this weekend, Sept 25-27 … i would go to the Plaza Art Fair, but i think i’ll wait ’til there’s another satellite… i think i’m entertaining enuff on my own that i don’t really wanna have to share attention with the other dogs at the satellite, ha ha! but, i’ve heard it’s a real good event, and there are lots of adoptions from it… so maybe someone will wanna meet me even tho i’m gonna hang here! a coupla weeks ago, Christine and Jana recorded somethin’ called a “video” of me playin’ fetch with Christine… it’s kinda hard for me to grab hold of the harder rubber balls cuz of my jaw thing, but i sure had fun chasin’ them, and kinda kickin’ the balls ’round with my paws. then Christine threw a tennis ball in the kiddy pool for me… and that was AWESOME!!! i’d jump and splash in the kiddy pool, take the ball back to Christine (i’m still workin’ on takin’ the ball right to the human who threw it for me), and she’d do it again! i had lots of fun doin’ that, then coolin’ off in the pool! ya gotta check out my video to see how cute i am! then, after i was all wet from the pool, i ran over to Jana and got her all wet! that was funny!

i’m excited, too, cuz i started oh-bee-dee-yence classes for somethin’ called HSGKC’s BEG Program, and Pete’s our teacher! i’ve had 2 classes so far with Orchid, Gailen, Bernie, Lucy, and Bianca, and we’re learnin’ lots and lots of stuff! the BEG Program’s gonna have all kinds of awesome new stuff for us dogs to do here while we’re waitin’ for our forever homes, and to help us get ready for a home. so far, i’ve learned how to “sit”, “stay”, “watch me”, “come here”, and i’m workin’ on somethin’ called a “polite greeting” (that’s kinda hard for me cuz we’re s’posed to sit and not jump up on a new human walkin’ up to us, but i get REAL excited when i see humans… so i’m tryin’). we’re learnin’ how to walk nice on a leash, too, and “down”… which i was havin’ a lil trouble with last night, but i think with some more practice i’ll do it real good, too. i like classes cuz i getta do somethin’ different, and i sleep real good after class. plus, Christine (she’s the human who’s workin’ with me… and i think it’s makin’ Hercules a lil jealous, lol!) is SO proud of me, and gives me lots of treats, and pets me and tells me what a good, smart boy i am!!! anyways, all us dogs are real excited ’bout this kinda stuff (like agility… i think i’d rock agility stuff), and the new things Pete and the BEG Program humans come up with for us!

gotta go… time to go play fetch! don’t forget to check out the Plaza Art Fair if ya wanna meet some of the other adoptable HSGKC dogs!!! bye!

Heya humans! How ya doin’? I’m doin’ pretty good myself and I’m very excited ’cause I just found out I getta go to Art Unleashed on Saturday, August 22!!! So, ’cause I’ve been listenin’ to our humans talkin’, I know this is like a BIG fundraiser for HSGKC with all kinds of stuff called “art work” to bid on in a silent auction (I dunno how ya can bid on somethin’ if you’re silent, but that’s complicated human stuff I don’t worry ’bout too much), and there’s a live auction for super cool stuff too (like extra special pieces of art work, an’ some other cool stuff). You can still buy tickets if you want… and all the proceeds are for HSGKC! It’s their second biggest fundraiser, and I know it costs lots of money to help all of us dogs and cats here, so Art Unleashed is real important for our humans to keep doin’ what they’re doin’! I’m goin’ with Ethan & Etta and Roxy. I’ve got a good feeling this is FINALLY “my event”… meanin’ some great humans are gonna fall in love with me as soon as they see me and wanna make me a member of their family!

I went to Tails on the Trails last Saturday at Ad Astra Park in Lenexa, and 2 other dogs who went with me got adopted! Bowie went home Monday (I gotta admit, it was real cute watchin’ him crawl on his belly real gentle like to his 2 new doggy brothers who are lil dudes… and I gotta say Bowie’s braver than I am with small dogs… the first one I met, Olaf this lil Chihuahua, barked at me once, and I got kinda scared, so I jumped on Pete, and put my front paws on his shoulder!) Oh yeah, and the other dog who went home is Rupert, he went to his forever home on Wednesday! And, Etta & Ethan were at the event, too, and they are ALWAYS a riot to watch!! They’re silly, and real cute the way they play together and with all the other doggies they meet!

Last time I did this blog thingy, I talked a lil ’bout my personality, and some of my quirks, but want to fill you in a bit more ’bout me. A couple months ago, I gotta to go to a 5K walk/run with a volunteer (she’s one of my favorite humans, Angela), and ’cause it was real early in the morning, I got to have a sleepover at her house. It was awesome!! She said I was a real good boy, and I pottied outside everytime, so I’d adjust real quick to that part of bein’ in a home! I’d really like a forever home with another doggy like me to play with, I think… I mean I’d be ok as an only dog, too, but it’s fun playin’ with other dogs… especially if I met another Hound like me! I’m still workin’ on my leash manners… but even though I pull pretty hard, I’ve heard Barley is like SUPER strong… and I’m not quite that bad… I don’t pull much after we’re walkin’, like on the Pack Walks. Our humans say I’m smart, goofy, curious… and they’ve FINALLY found hard toys I like a LOT. I’d prefer soft toys… but I’m kinda obsessed with them, and ’cause our humans hide ’em from me, when I do get my mouth round one… well, I don’t wanna let go, but I do… eventually, lol!!

I’m gonna go… time to go for a walk! Don’t forget to check out hsgkc.org for more info ’bout Art Unleashed, it’s supposed to be lots of fun — and you’ll get to meet ME there!!! Cross your paws for me ’bout this bein’ the event where I meet my forever family! Bye!!

Hey there humans, how-ya doin’? My name is Bowie. I’m a 5 year old Pit Bull mix with the most awesome eyes… see I’ve got one blue eye and one brown eye… cool, huh? I guess our humans named me for some famous guy named David Bowie ’cause he’s got 2 different eye colors, too. Anyways, I was found as a stray right after the 4th of July… all of those booms and bright stuff up in the sky was kinda scary, ‘specially ’cause I was out on my own. Well, a nice woman found me and brought me here. I was reallly skinny!! I only weighed 33 pounds when I came in, I had some sores on my legs and didn’t smell so good (I overheard the humans who take care of us sayin’ I kinda looked like a baby hippopotamus, and I dunno what that is, but I’m guessin’ it’s pretty dang cute if it looks like me). Now, ’cause our humans are soooo awesome, I weigh around 45 pounds, after less than 1 month!!! They’re feedin’ me good here!

I guess ’cause I’m lookin’ so handsome now that’s why I gotta go to my first satellite adoption event thingy last Saturday, and… I’m goin’ to another one on Friday!!! I’m really excited! Me, Ethan & Etta, Farley, and maybe a couple more dogs are going to Tail Waggin’ Pet Stop for a human event called First Fridays… I think it’s got somethin’ to do with art… and hey, that reminds me, HSGKC has a BIG fundraiser comin’ up August 22nd called Art Unleashed… sorry, I got kind sidetracked. So, anyways, we’ll be at the Tail Waggin’ Pet Stop this Friday, August 7 from 6-8 pm, if ya wanna come meet some of us! I gotta say, Ethan & Etta are a hoot to watch! They’re super cute together, and we’re all hopin’ they go to a home together! I wish my best friend, Dwayne (our humans have been goin’ back and forth ’bout his name… some humans like the name Dwayne, and others like the name Bullwinkle… you humans are so FUNNY) could go, too, but he’s not quite ready to go to somethin’ like a satellite yet ’cause he’s still bein’ treated for demodex mange. He’s real sweet, like me, and we LOVE playin’ together. Sometimes though… if we’re left to our own devices, we kinda get into a lil bit of trouble… we don’t mean to, but we’re dogs, and sometimes we just wanna chew some stuff up. Sorry ’bout the extension cord and the doggy bed, btw. I think this is gonna be a busy month for our humans with the satellites and Art Unleashed comin’ up. Check out hsgkc.org for more info about the upcoming events! And, don’t forget, you may wanna come meet me on Friday! I’m a real good boy, I walk nice on a leash, I’m good with other dogs, and I’m great with humans of all ages!

That’s all I got for now… ‘ll talk ’bout the kinda forever home I’d like the next time I blog (unless I get adopted… which could happen). I’m gonna go hang with Dwayne for a bit, then take a nap. Bye!

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Wish you could know more about the dogs at The Humane Society of Greater Kansas CIty? We do, too! Our adoption staff thought the best way to tell you more would be to ask the dogs themselves. This blog was created for our dogs to give you the yips, yaps, barks and howls about what's going on -- from their point of view.